A new AARP survey shows that health care, education, financial security and the digital divide are among the most important social issues for African-Americans ages 50 and older.

The national survey, which included phone interviews with 650 respondents, demonstrates that while many older African-Americans are optimistic that the country is moving in the right direction when it comes to issues such as health care, education and the digital divide, they are significantly less optimistic about finances, employment and workforce discrimination. Lower levels of optimism related to finances and employment could directly impact their future retirement security.

Having a financially secure retirement was considered the second most important issue (cited by 16% of those with multiple answers), while access to high quality education was the third most important issue (cited by 14% of those with multiple answers).

If you're a participant in a National Steel pension plan, you may have received a communication claiming that PBGC is conducting a general review of the benefit amounts paid to National Steel participants.

Please be assured that this is not the case. PBGC did not send out any such communication, and is not reviewing National Steel benefits.

We are confident that your pension benefit has been determined accurately and that you are receiving the maximum amount you are entitled to under law.

If you have any questions or receive additional false information purporting to come from PBGC, please feel free to contact us at mypension@pbgc.gov or 1-800-400-7242.

In part one of a two-part series, "Insuring Private Pensions," Fox Business reporter Adam Shapiro and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Director Josh Gotbaum, discuss the need for Congress to raise premiums to ensure 42 million Americans receive the pensions they were promised.

By now, you may have read news headlines addressing a study on PBGC premium increases released by the Pension Coalition. In an official PBGC statement, Gotbaum responded saying, "Unlike the FDIC and other Federal insurance programs, Congress has continued to set PBGC premiums and has done so in ways that both underfunds PBGC and is convincing some companies they shouldn't offer pensions at all."

In his interview, Gotbaum explains the specific PBGC-related issues that affect the retirement crisis.

May is Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate the contributions older Americans have made to society — and to focus attention on the many services available to older Americans as part of the Older Americans Act.

The services that the Pension Rights Center is most proud of are those provided by the U.S. Administration on Aging's Pension Counseling and Information Program. The agency offers free legal assistance to people who need help in obtaining the retirement benefits they have earned. The Pension Rights Center provides training and technical assistance to the program's regional pension counseling projects. Since it was launched in 1993, the program has helped retirees and their families obtain more than $190 million in retirement benefits.

Throughout the month, the Pension Rights Center will highlight successful cases handled by the counseling projects.

You will read about Vicki, who was shocked when she was told that she wasn't eligible for the pension her husband had told her would be there for her after his death.

You'll also read about Bill, who was told that his 15 years of work had earned him only a one-time $500 lump sum, despite the fact that he knew he was entitled to a pension.

You'll also read stories about many others who will now receive their pensions as a result of the work of the counseling projects.

Finally, you can watch a video about the pension counseling projects that feature just a few of the real people whose lives were forever changed by the Pension Counseling and Information Program.

The Pension Counseling and Information Program provides free legal assistance to individuals in 30 states. To find out if you can be helped by a counseling project, visit http://www.pensionrights.org/find-help.